rabidsquirrel

Well, I think I just ran into tstone at the ramp today (Was loading up to leave). It was nice to run into a fellow forum member in real life! tstone, give me a PM sometime soon. I may even head back out there tomorrow as I'm off, but depends on how tonight's festivities go, as well as how well my knee is behaving... It has been giving me fits lately. Steroids got me in good enough shape to get out there today, so I should be fairly mobile tomorrow as well (I hope). Later, Shawn

Just an FYI for anyone who's read this thread. I have launched at both the Lowery Park ramp and River Hills ramp several times now. The water is definitely more brackish (Salty) on the Lowery end of Hillsborough (Below the dam). I'm sticking to the River Hills ramp for now. Water levels are good, but you still have to back in quite a bit to launch bigger rigs (20' + boats). Haven't really caught any decent sized bass above the d**n yet. Most have been in the 1-2 pound range, with a few dinks here and there, but the do bite, so you'll catch 'em in the river if you stick it out. Have been going lately and the weather changes have been less than ideal for fishing, but still catching them. Have caught a few on swim baits, but most on weightless rigged zoom ultravibe speed worms (Junebug mostly, with a few bites on watermelon red). Been using 5 aught gamakatsu EWG Monster hooks in the worms... The heavier hook seems to give it just enough weight.

Went back to Hillsborough River last Sunday with my neighbor. Launched from the Riverhills ramp, and it is indeed a very gradual sloping ramp. Wasn't too hard getting in and out of there with the big boat though. Water levels were good. Fishing was decent. Had a great time. I think I will go back to that ramp next time I go out to the river.

Nice!

This ramp: http://goo.gl/maps/Md12d - is closed due to some sort of bridge addition project on Fowler. FWIW

So, here's a news flash for anyone wanting to use the Rotary Park Launch I was planning on using - IT IS OUT OF COMMISSION! It appears to have fallen victim to bridge construction project right next to it. Hell, the 'new' part of the overpass is practically on top of the current ramp location. It'll be interesting to see how they rebuild that ramp, or if they do. Of course the Florida websites that have information on this ramp do not mention that it is closed... Wish I would have known that before I went over there... Could have gone straight to Lowery Park ramp and saved 10-20 bucks worth of premium gas... Oh well... Launched out of Lowery Park, and it went smoothly. Decent facilities there. Didn't catch much, but we did catch one 2~3 lb bass and one small red fish. We had another decent bite, but it got off... Caught them on T-rigged Zoom Ultravibe Speed worms (Junebug). I would say that Hillsborough has some really shallow areas that can mess your boat up if you aren't really careful. We traveled up river from the launch, well past the two bridges... Had a good time.

Nevermind. I didn't realize that launch was further south for me. I'm located in the Wesley Chapel area. I'm a little worried about salinity of the water down that way, as I'm floating a normal "bass boat", not one of those intercoastal rigs. Does anyone have an idea of where a sort of 'go no further than here' line would cross on the Hillsborough river for non-saltwater vessels? Thanks!

tstone, How was the ramp at riverhills? Hillsborough County website said it would accommodate 20' boats and that it isn't a steep ramp. I've never put in there, so I'm not familiar with it. I have a 20'6" Nitro 911 CDC that I'd be putting in. Do you think River Hills would accommodate a boat that size (In your opinion)? Thanks!

I'm contemplating taking my big boat to the Hillsborough River, but not sure if the water levels are good enough for a 20' bass boat right now. Anyone been out there in the past week? I will be launching from the E. Fowler Avenue ramp (Rotary Riverfront Park): http://goo.gl/maps/Md12d Planning on hitting it Saturday (Conditions permitting). Thanks!

If you go A-Rig, make sure you have a rod that will throw it reasonably well. I believe the magic formula is longer and heavier with a fast tip, but others may clarify a bit here as I don't throw the A-Rig much. You probably need a rod around 7'6" or longer, Heavy Action with a Fast tip. I can't remember the ideal specs... In fact, my Mojo Swim Bait Rod is the same spec as this Shimano Crucial Alabama Rig (Umbrella) rod: http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/rods/Crucial_Family/Crucial_Umbrella.html (Tried posting a link to the rod specs on Tackle Warehouse, but Admin rule wouldn't let me link there? Seems like a stupid rule, as it is good e-tailer site that does a very good job of listing all the specs of the products they carry... Frustrating!) 7'9" Heavy with Fast Tip. The Mojo swim bait rod is a decent option for the Umbrella Rig - I got mine from Dick's Sporting Goods for $140, but I was in immediate need at that time (Tournament).

No such thing as 'too powerful'... Hehe... That Cumara 7'7" is a sweet jigging option. I'd slap my Curado 201 DHSV with some Power Pro braid on it and start yanking toads out of mud puddles with it! I'm using a Mojo Swim Bait rod now with the DHSV, and sometimes a throw jigs with it. Works great, especially if you get bit. Hookset is a no-brainer with that rod - I.e. you are going to get a great set every time (So much leverage and rod strength). That Cumara should be even better than the Mojo - I.e. great for flipping/pitching as well.

Another Louisiana transplant here... Lived in ATL (Midtown) for a number of years... Lake Clara Meer in Piedmont Park has some lunkers in it. You wouldn't think so by looking at the lake and the foot traffic around it (Sometimes there is a lot of garbage floating in the lake, but nothing major), but that lake has a ton of fish in it. It is a managed lake (Georgia Fish and Game Department). http://goo.gl/maps/FzFe1 When I lived a few blocks away from that lake, it had very little fishing pressure as no one really thought to fish it. I guess sometimes the best kept 'secret' fishing spots are the ones staring you in the face! I caught 6 and 7 pounders out of it, and knew a guy that showed me photos of him catching many 10~12 pounders out of that lake (Usually under the dock, throwing big jig/trailer combos). If you see a dude on a 10 speed, bike shorts, no shirt, and a single rod riding around that area, it is the same dude I met a few years back. He's a very nice gent and he'll fill you in on how to catch lunkers out of that lake.

Great rods... Light and good sensitivity, as others have said. I think I have 3 of them currently - various sizes, one spinning and two bait casters. You won't regret getting one, but do check it over thoroughly before you buy it, as many can be damaged in shipping or through rough handling by the employees. I've seen some that were 'cracked' at Dick's before, so double check it before you buy (I.e. like BassFisherman94 said previously).

I've not tried the Veritas micro guides yet, but have a Veritas casting and spinning rods. Love them. Great rods for the money!

Columbia, Columbia, Columbia... +1 here. Great products. I wear their long sleeve stuff, shorts, and wide brimmed hats. They keep me cool and comfy here in hot and humid Tampa. Can't go wrong with their stuff. Oh yeah, if you smoke, be careful with their materials. Ash will melt through it relatively quickly, but you won't go up in flames or anything. I occasionally smoke cigars while I fish - which is almost like saying that I occasionally breath air while I fish. I have been known to ash a shirt occasionally, but the holes are usually tiny if you do it by accident.

Nice catch!

Nice work with the Rage Tails... I've been fishing the Rage Tail Shad a bit recently. Have thrown the Rage Tail Toads with good success in the past. I'll probably tie another RT Toad on real soon... ;D

14# test?!?!?!?! Holy cow! That is awesome!

Wow, this thread generated a few responses! I handed off my wacky rig to my friend yesterday evening, and he caught a 4.25 pounder with it! That was the biggest bass he'd caught in that pond to date, so he's sold on wacky rigging now... He caught a few more in the 2 pound range as well... Caught some more on a Brush Hog rig and a nice one on a Rage Tail Shad rig... I was a good evening of fishing, for sure! ;D

Beautiful fish! Great colors...

Congrats, Deb! Excellent result!

Congrats! Sounds like a great day of fishing to me.

I read that a few days ago. I really enjoyed the story. When I lived in Bossier City, we used to go to Lake Caddo with our close family friends. Many fond childhood memories of that place... ;D

I've read all the articles, watched all the video clips, and finally gave 'Wacky' rigging a shot. Well, 'Wacky' isn't 'Whack'... I've discovered that it works extremely well in the ponds I frequent. It's like the fish have never seen it before, and they cannot resist it. Brush hogs used to be my most productive soft plastic bait, but I've been just as productive with Wacky riggin' over the last few days. I'm using a 3 ought Gamakatsu finesse hook through the mid section of a zoom finesse worms (Watermelon Red Flake). I'm killing it with this rig. Not running any weight on it, though, which practically demands you fish it on a lighter weight spinning rod and reel (It casts much better/farther than on my baitcasting rigs). If you've put off learning this technique like I did, consider this a gentle nudge to give it a shot - from a recent non-believing convert! It works! I caught around 15 keepers yesterday afternoon with this technique in a span of an hour and a half. I felt like I was cheating somehow! You have to fish it real slow to be successful. It is definitely a slow finesse technique, and it certainly rewards the patient fisherman...